Reading Comprehension — How Long Do Animals Live?
Read two short passages about how long farm animals live and answer ten questions.
Big and Strong
"How long do animals live, Uncle?" asked Emile.
"Let's start with the ox," said Uncle Paul. "Look at its big chest and strong shoulders! You might think an animal so strong would live for hundreds of years."
"I think so too," said Jules.
"Not at all. An ox is very, very old at twenty or thirty. What would be young for us is old age for an ox."
"What about the horse?"
"The horse and the donkey live to about thirty or thirty-five."
"How wrong I was!" said Jules. "I thought they were so big they would live for a hundred years."
"Taking up a lot of room in the world," said Uncle Paul, "is not the secret to a long life."
Smaller Animals
"Most of our other animals live an even shorter time," Uncle Paul went on.
"A cat is old by fifteen. It stops chasing mice and finds a quiet corner to rest. Sheep and goats are very old at ten or fifteen. A rabbit lives about eight or ten years. A rat that lives to four is a wonder among rats.
"Some birds do better. Hens and turkeys live to about twelve, but a goose can live to twenty-five or even longer. That is as long as an ox!
"And people? Someone who takes good care of themselves can live to eighty or ninety, and sometimes even to a hundred."
Jules thought for a moment. "So people live longer than nearly all the animals on the farm!"
Adapted from The Story-book of Science by Jean-Henri Fabre (1917).
Why might you think an ox would live a very long time?
How old is a very old ox?
"How wrong I was!" What was Jules wrong about?
"What would be young for us is old age for an ox." What does this mean?
What lesson is Uncle Paul teaching at the end of Big and Strong?
Which animal lives the shortest time?
What does a very old cat do?
"A rat that lives to four is a wonder among rats." What does this tell you?
Which animal can live about as long as an ox?
Which list goes from the shortest life to the longest?